“Cocoa prod the major o people of Et
The journey to Eti-Oni, from Osogbo, the Osun state capital, through Ilesa, the hometown of the state governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, was smooth until one gets to Olopon. That was the community where the road tarred by the state government terminated. Then, the journey turns to a nightmare. Between Olopon village and Eti-Oni lies about 9 kilometres stretch of untarred road, bordered on both sides by cocoa trees planted for commercial purposes.
From a few hundred metres away, one could perceive the odour of cocoa beans. The atmosphere here was calm and serene. Welcome to EtiOni, the ancient community where cocoa was first produced in Nigeria. Cocoa business remains the only occupation of the people of this community, and everyone in the community has a cocoa farm. In fact, there were different sizes of platforms in front of almost every house for the purpose of drying cocoa beans before selling. But despite the richness and the historical significance of EtiOni, the underdevelopment bedevilling the ancient community is enormous.
The Olori-omo (youth leader) of Eti-Oni, Mr Ojo Adepoju said bad roads was one of the major problems facing the community and preventing the cocoa farmers from trading profitably. He noted that when the state government graded the road leading to Eti-Oni recently, produce buyers were able to access the community and that sales improved considerably.
His words “It is true that cocoa has its roots here. I’m also very much involved in the business. I have people who work for me. There are many challenges that plague us as a people. There is the challenge of bad roads. In fact many of the younger generation who were born here are not based in EtiOni, and that has contributed in no small measure to our stark underdevelopment. We are happy that the Alimighty has decided to restore our fortunes. We are glad with the recent grading of our road by Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration. It has really attracted the producer buyers more than what it used to be in the times when the road was bad”.
A traditional Chief in the community, the Gbayewa of Eti-Oni, Chief Adeyemi David also identified the problem of bad roads as the bane of the growth and development of the community. The 51-year-old said “we need good roads so that our farm produce can get into town. As a result of the state of the roads, it is quite difficult to transport the cocoa out and as such the seeds turn black. Sometimes, we have to pay people from outside town as labourers to harvest the cocoa so it doesn’t get spoilt. Still there are so many complaints because of the roads, and the labourers complain that the wages paid are pointless because of the cost of transporting themselves into the settlement.”
Elemosho of Eti-Oni, another traditional chief, Pa Oni Oladimeji who has also been involved in cocoa cultivation for decades, said the community needs social amenities, especially the road. He also urged the state government to build schools and hospitals in the community.
The 60-year-old man said “When our people fall sick; we have to take them to Ilesa before they could get medical attention. Even when our pregnant women are in labour, we have to take them to the town. Our school has been overtaken by weeds, and the distance to attend the school in the neighbouring community is quite far. It’s one of the reasons many of our children run away from Eti-Oni. We appeal to government to come to our aid.”
Sylvester Okohon who hails from Ebonyi State is the leader of Igbo cocoa farmers in Eti-Oni, and he has been in the community for 30 years. In a chat with Daily Trust, he said “I moved here thirty years ago after I heard the history of Eti-Oni. I thank God for the business and I’m happy that the state government graded this road. It has increased our sales and it is easier to go to town, while people in town also find it convenient to come here and buy our produce.”